A man has died and nine people hospitalised after an assailant drove a van into Muslim worshippers near Finsbury Park Mosque in North London, on midnight of Sunday. The suspect, Darren Osborne who is 47 and from Cardiff, was seized at the scene by pedestrians but spared the wrath of the crowd by the Imam Mohammed Mahmoud who protected Osborne before handing him over to the police.
Police said all the victims of the attack, which happened shortly after midnight, were Muslims and many were believed to have just left evening prayers after breaking their Ramadan fast. Witnesses heard a van driver shouting "I'm going to kill Muslims" and saw the van striking pedestrians who were tending to an elderly man who had collapsed. He later died, but it is not clear whether this was a result of the attack. Nine other people were taken to hospital.
The Prime Minister Theresa May promptly chaired a Cobra meeting of the government's emergency committees and denounced the attack as being "every bit as sickening" as other recent attacks to hit the UK and “an evil born out of hatred.” Speaking to Imam Mahmoud she said, “this was an attack on Muslims near their place of worship, and like all terrorism in whatever form, it shares the same fundamental goal to drive us apart; and break the precious bonds of solidarity and citizenship that we share in this country.”
The London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that the police were already “working their socks off... I'm concerned about the resources the Metropolitan Police have.” The incident is being treated as an act of terrorism by law enforcement officers. Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the incident in North London was "quite clearly an attack on Muslims" and the community would now see more police, including armed officers, in the area, "particularly around religious establishments".
Osborne was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but Scotland Yard said he was later arrested for the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism, including murder and attempted murder.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, local MP who appeared close to tears as he visited the scene, said “the only way to deal with this kind of issue is communities coming together. An attack on a mosque, an attack on a synagogue, an attack on a church is actually an attack on all of us.”
As a demonstration of solidarity, faith leaders came together and hundreds took part in a vigil near Finsbury Park Mosque on Monday night. People held flowers at the vigil, where local faith leaders spoke to the crowd.
The Hindu Council UK was prompt in issuing a statement condemning the Finsbury Park terrorist attack: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the man who was killed and to his family and friends, and also to those who were injured and for the police and emergency services who serve the whole community and preserve our values.”
The Hindu Council expressed concerns over the hatred that was demonstrated by this act, especially after a weekend of large gatherings of people from all religions, faith, and ethnicity in support of solidarity, peace, community cohesion, and the healing of community tensions through uniting people of different backgrounds on the basis of our common humanity in the aftermath of the Grenfell inferno.
The Council's statement condemned the act in no uncertain terms, saying “while this vile attack was targeted at innocent Muslims leaving prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom, and respect. Any attack on a particular faith or a place of worship - is an attack on all of us. We have to protect each other’s faith. Terrorists irrespective of colour want to divide us, and we simply can not let them win.”
Following the incident, the Muslim community has shown strength and unity to gather at the site of the attack and silently pray during the last few days of Ramadan.
